


Daughter of Darkened Shadows

by Adorealis



Category: A Court of Thorns and Roses Series - Sarah J. Maas
Genre: Abuse, Action & Romance, Alcohol Abuse/Alcoholism, Edgeplay, F/M, Falling In Love, Kink, Knifeplay, Light Dom/sub, Mental Health Issues, Prophecy, Romance, Smut, Spicy, Violence, degredation
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-09
Updated: 2021-03-11
Packaged: 2021-03-15 06:20:16
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 9,028
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29309466
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Adorealis/pseuds/Adorealis
Summary: "From the ashes of the Alcrorian fields, on the eve of the Kalends, when the forces of malice begin to work against us, the Savior will arise: our daughter of darkened shadows."
Relationships: Azriel (ACoTaR)/Original Character(s)
Comments: 1
Kudos: 30





	1. Chapter 1

Black.

Everything was black.

"What are you" a strange voice hissed out from the corner of Eleanor's ear, but she could only groan in response.

Her whole body was on fire as an excruciating pain ripped through her body. Blue and purple bruises were faintly visible on her skin, and a steady stream of something that felt suspiciously like blood flowed freely down her back. 

"I asked you a question, bitch" the voice snarled.

"I -- I don't know" 

Eleanor cried out as a hand collided with the side of her face, causing a sharp sting and the metallic taste of blood to flood her senses. 

It wasn't the first time they hit her. There had been others before him... before the one currently torturing her. They all wanted the same thing, they all pressed for the same information, but they never seemed to get the answers they wanted. And one by one they were replaced. They hit her, they choked her, and they interrogated her, but they couldn't get the answer to the question they all wanted to know.

What was she?

"Stop playing games, Eleanor," the voice growled, "tell me what you are and all of this will go away"

"I- I've told you... I do- I don't know"

He slapped her again.

"Stop lying, you little bitch. If you don't start talking soon, I just might have to resort to more... drastic measures"

Even with the blackness, Eleanor could see the glint of his teeth as his mouth curled into a sinister smile.

Eleanor's face was now wet with tears as she choked back a meek response. She didn't know what to do, she didn't even know how she ended up here. One day she was sitting on her bed studying for her Algebra II test and the next thing she knew she was locked in a dark damp cell while men with pointy ears came, pulled her arms above her head, and asked her question after question. Questions that, for once in her life, she didn't know the answers to.

'I'm going to die here' she thought to herself as she watched the faint outline of a man make his way closer and closer to her

Eleanor recoiled as she felt his hot breath brush against her cheek "You want to be like this?" the voice asked, "Fine, I think it's time you learn what we can really do"

A scream ripped from her throat as a new object collided with Eleanor's skin, causing pain to rack her body and her arms to helplessly thrash against the restraints holding her back. It was a pain she had never felt before: it stung, it burned, and felt like a dozen razor blades had embedded themselves into her skin.

She shrieked as it hit her again

And again

And again

" Ple- please" Eleanor cried, blood seeping from the gaps between her teeth "I- I'm just a kid"

"So I've been told" the voice growled, "And you come from a land without magic, where only humans exist. Humans don't have magic, stupid bitch. I won't ask you again, what are you?"

A stream of light penetrated the black, causing Eleanor to squint from the sudden change in brightness, "Hellaxe, Nrere needs you down in the refractory" said a new voice, "he said it's urgent"

"I want you to think real hard about your next moves, cause when I come back I will be expecting an answer" The voice snapped as a final word of warning.

The door slowly closed leaving Eleanor alone in the black.

Not that she minded of course. After all, she was the one to create it. The blackness filled her with warmth and comfort; it was the only solace she had in this dark place; the only thing keeping her from going crazy. But she was exhausted, she was tired, and she was hurting. She was in pain and she no longer wanted to feel anything, so she let the blackness consume her.

The blackness -- that already filled the room -- began to swirl around her. The smokey tendrils reached out and brushed her skin filling her with a new kind of warmth; a warmth that took away her pain and her exhaustion. The blackness dried her tears and filled her with new energy. It invigorated her, refreshed her, and revitalized her with feelings she had never felt before.

But the blackness didn't last.

A bright light penetrated Eleanor's cocoon of black as the door to her cell blew open. She squinted into the light to see what was happening, but she couldn't make out the flurry of activity.

She flinched as she felt the warm hands of a woman with golden hair swoop her up into her arms, pulling her into a warm embrace. Eleanor clung to her as the woman carried her from her cell and out into the world beyond.

And for the first time in 6 months, Eleanor felt safe.

For the first time in 6 months, the blackness went away.


	2. Chapter 2

"Penny for your thoughts?" a voice asked.

Eleanor pulled from her thoughts, looked up to see Rhysand's smiling face as he leaned against her doorway.

She flashed him a strained smile as she wracked her brain for something -- anything -- to say, but her mind came up blank. She pulled her knees into her chest and slowly turned towards her window, in order to hide her own uneasiness, choosing instead to focus on watching the river below her than confront the situation standing right in front of her.

Noticing her discomfort, Rhysand's smile quickly shifted to a look of genuine concern, "You are safe here, you know that, right?" 

Eleanor slowly looked back at him, blinking back tears as smokey black tendrils began to seep from her skin and began snaking their way across the floor towards Rhysand.

"Eleanor," Rhysand began, ignoring the ominous black smoke that was steadily rolling his way, "You are safe here. No one can hurt you, I will make sure of that"

By now, the black coils had made their way all the way over to him and were cautiously swirling around his feet and snaking up his legs.

Eleanor said nothing.

"If you are up to it, my family and I will be having dinner tonight and would love for you to join us" he added, trying his best to engage her in a conversation, but Eleanor didn't want to talk to him -- or anyone for that matter.

But, she slowly unfurled her knees from her chest and brought her gaze to meet his, "Just dinner?" she meekly asked.

"Just dinner" he responded.

Swallowing deeply, Eleanor thought over his request. It wasn't unreasonable, but it was quite possibly the last thing she ever wanted to do. She just wanted to be alone, with her thoughts, and the darkness that she now saw as something comforting, and reassuring. But Eleanor knew that if she refused, he would just be back the next day with something else. So, she slowly nodded; agreeing to dinner in hopes that she would be left alone again.

"Wonderful! We will eat at 8" 

He pushed himself off her doorway and walked out of her room, closing the door behind him. The black smoke that had been previously swirling around him, tried to follow him out of the room, but an invisible force kept it from getting too far. 

And just like that, she was alone again.

By the time 8 o'clock came around, Eleanor's stomach was already in knots. She had only met the other members of Rhysand's "family" once and she wasn't sure if she was ready to meet them again. 

She took a deep breath, smoothed out the front of her dress, and walked out of her room. As she walked into the hallway, she couldn't help but notice the intricate details of the walls around her. The golden swirls that decorated the white walls gave the hallway an elegant and regal feel, but the paintings she saw -- every few feet -- gave the hall a comforting and homey feel that she couldn't help but find soothing.

She slowly made her way down the hall, drinking in all the details as she went until she reached two large double doors. Both doors were pushed slightly open and Eleanor could hear voices coming from the room. Curious, she peeked into the room running her hands across the intricate engravings that covered the door as she attempted to observe the scene before her. She couldn't see much... the doors were in the way and she didn't want to get caught eavesdropping on their conversation, so she resolved to merely listen.

"You don't think she knows, do you?" came Feyre's soft voice.

"No, she was born in and raised in a land without magic. There's no way she could know" Rhysand responded.

"We are going to have to tell her eventually. If we leave that much raw power unchecked for too long -- especially with her emotions all over the place, like they are now -- it could be catastrophic for Velaris"

Realizing that they were talking about her, Eleanor could no longer contain her curiosity and she decided to slowly, but cautiously, push open one of the doors -- just enough to better watch the conversation.

Feyre and Rhysand were both sitting on a couch in the middle of the room, and Cassian, Azriel, Amren, and Mor were sitting on the couches and armchairs surrounding them. Eleanor couldn't see Feyre or Rhysand's faces as they spoke, but she curiously watched the rest of the group as they conversed.

"What are we supposed to do?" asked Mor,, "Just hand her over to Az?"

"What would he do?" Cassian dramatically exasperated, "Bore the magic out of her with his incessant brooding and inability to have fun?"

"I don't know... he has shadows, she has shadows; it seems like a perfect match to me" Mor shrugged.

"Those are not shadows, I don't know what they are but they are not shadows. Az has shadows and they're like ya' know substantive and I dunno frisky."

"Did you just call my shadows frisky?" Azriel asked, the sheer distaste displayed across his face.

Eleanor stifled a laugh as Cassian responded "I don't know how to describe your shadows, but they- they feel like alive. Whatever that weird black smoke thing that she just- radiates that's not alive. It- it's cold, dead, blackness."

"No, no Mor's idea was actually pretty good," said Amren, "Just because she doesn't have shadows doesn't mean that her magic isn't similar. At the very least Azriel should be able to relate to her."

At this mention of Azriel, Eleanor looked over to where he was sitting and watched his still unmoving expression. She studied the harsh and sharp lines that defined his face, giving his stone-faced expression a grim undertone. That coupled with his undoubtedly handsome features, intrigued Eleanor more than she would like to admit.

"So we are just handing her over to Az?" asked Cassian.

"I wouldn't put it exactly like that" responded Feyre, "It would be more like, us having Az watch over her and try to teach her how to use her powers."

This was the third time they had mentioned powers and Eleanor found herself feeling more and more confused. She didn't have magic or powers. She was human. Sh-she was normal. They were wrong about her, they had to be.

"That's the exact same thing as handing her over to Az" Cassian shot back.

"I think she should also spend some time with Amren," said Feyre, shifting in her seat, "She was able to help Nesta, and I think that she should be able to help Eleanor too."

"Az, If you are ok with this, it seems like the best course of action." added Rhysand, looking at the large clock above the fireplace, "But, it's 8 now and that's when I told Eleanor we would be having dinner, we can tell her about this then."

"There's no need" Azriel smirked, "She has been sitting outside the door listening to us for the last 5 minutes."

Realizing that she had been caught, Eleanor gasped and slowly started walking away from the door she was standing behind.

"It's ok Eleanor" called out Rhysand, "You can come in."

"Yeah, we don't bite, I mean unless you want us to" added Cassian laughing.

This seemed to be an inside joke among the group because they all started laughing alongside Cassian. The comment confused Eleanor, but she quietly pushed open the doors to the room and walked in. 

As she made her way over to the group, she began to feel self-conscious as she felt their eyes sweep over her. They all seemed to be studying her like she was a time bomb that would go off at any moment; like she would only cause trouble. It made her uncomfortable, but she quickly shook it off and sat down in a gray oversized armchair facing the group.

"As you may have heard, we are trying to figure out how to move forward." Rhysand started, "Eleanor, you have some incredibly powerful magic and we want to make sure that you learn how to control it. If you just let that much power sit around for too long, it's only a matter of time before you lose control and hurt someone or something." 

Eleanor uncomfortably bristled in her chair; the thought of magic agitating and deeply disturbing her, "I- I don't know what you're talking about, I do- I don't have magic"

Amren snorted, but Feyre held out a hand quickly silencing her "Eleanor, have you noticed the black smoke that sometimes surrounds you or the people around you?" she softly asked, "That is magic, but we have never seen anything like it before, so we don't know the extent of it or how dangerous it can be. We only want to help you, because you can't just ignore magic. If you do, it could consume you and cause a lot of pain and suffering."

"And that's why you want to hand me over to him" Eleanor finished pointing her chin towards Azriel sitting in the chair across from her. Azriel met her stare with a cool glare: his piercing brown eyes curiously studying her face causing her to involuntarily shiver under his gaze. 

"Azriel is a shadow singer, he can manipulate and control shadows. It's not the same as what you do, but it's similar enough that we think he could be helpful. " Mor said.

"We think that it would be good for you to have him around, watching and helping you" Rhysand added.

"Like a babysitter?" Eleanor skeptically asked.

"Yes" said Cassian.

"No" Feyre quickly responded the exasperation evident on her face, "We only want you to be around someone who can help you understand your magic and Az is the best choice for that."

"Call it what you want, Feyre, but he's still gonna be a babysitter" Cassian shrugged laughing as Eleanor's eyes nearly fell out of her head and Azriel shot him a dirty look.

"Ok!" Mor chimed in, clapping her hands together with a large smile plastered across her face, "As fun as this is, I vote that we bring it with us to dinner, because I am hungry and we were supposed to eat over 15 minutes ago."

"Mor's right," said Rhysand standing up as he braced his hands on the top of his thighs, "We should bring this down to the dining room."

Slowly the group stood up -- one by one -- and began to make their way out of the room. Eleanor quietly followed them from the back of the group anxious to not make a scene. 

But Azriel had noticed her discomfort and decided to do something about it, "After you" he called out stepping aside and beckoning her forward with one hand.

Eleanor stopped and looked at his hand swallowing deeply. She took a deep breath, flashed him a small smile, and quickly walked in front of him and out the door.

A/N: So, writing is sooo much harder than I thought it would be... huge props to all the authors out there cause this was harder than I thought. But... I kinda like it. It's really fun and super relaxing. Looks like we got a new hobby!

This is my first fic (and probably why I found this so hard), so please be nice, but also like if you have criticisms please let me know cause I want to know them. I'm going to try and post at least once a week, but it took me over a week to write this chapter, so we'll see where that ends up going (Hopefully it actually happens :)

xoxo, 

Lauren


	3. Chapter 3

The dining room was huge. 

Eleanor gawked as she walked through the giant doors that led to the dining room, drinking in all the details as she went. The high ceilings and large windows opened the room letting the yellow and orange light of the sunset fill the room and the paintings that Eleanor had seen in the hallway decorated the walls of this room as well.

The group made their way over to a large table in the middle of the room and began sitting down at the mahogany chairs that surrounded the table.

Eleanor shyly pulled out a chair adjacent to Mor and sat down, confused as to why there didn't appear to be any food on the table. She looked around at the others at the table and began to wonder if these people even ate food... They clearly weren't human, so it didn't seem to be an unreasonable thought.

But then Rhysand snapped his fingers and food filled the tables. Plates stacked with pasta and chicken and salad and bread appeared in the middle of the table and one by one the members of the group started taking the food and passing it around.

Shocked by the casual use of magic, Eleanor stared at the food for a moment before quickly shaking her head and helping herself to it.

Tentatively, she took a bite; and it was the best food she had ever tasted. The food on her plate looked to be the same as the food she used to eat at home but this was so much better. The rich flavors of the sauce seemed to melt in her mouth and the tanginess of the chicken balanced everything out perfectly. 

Eleanor found herself beyond pleased with the food and began shoveling the food into her mouth as if she were never going to eat again. Eleanor, however, quickly became aware of her manners and timidly looked around the table embarrassed by her lack of them. But it seemed to her that everyone else was enthralled with their food; each looking down at their own plate whilst silently savoring their dinner. Comforted by everyone else's demeanor, Eleanor looked back down at her plate and continued eating.

"So Eleanor," Cassian said finally breaking the silence, "What's it like where you lived?"

Surprised by the sudden interruption, Eleanor looked up from her plate with a shocked look on her face. Her mouth was full, but she put her hand in front of her mouth as she quickly finished chewing, "What do you want to know?"

"I don't know... I just want to know what the mortal lands are like"

"You do know that if you wanted to know that, you could have just asked Az, right?" Mor deadpanned.

"I'm just trying to be conversational" Cassian grumbled, "She literally looks like she's about to run out of this room and try and find her own way back to the mortal lands, and then get ripped to shreds by a martax."

Eleanor gaped at Cassian.

"Well, then please don't stop on my account," Mor said with a smirk slowly appearing on her face as she leaned back into her chair and started slowly sipping her wine, "Please Eleanor, continue"

"I don't know what to tell you... um, it's full of humans?" Eleanor sheepishly responded.

Azriel choked on his wine and turned towards Eleanor giving her an incredulous smirk.

He leaned over and quietly whispered into her ear, "tell them about the states and cities and where you are from, they'll listen to anything."

Eleanor gave him a small smile, cleared her throat, and continued, "Well it's different in different places but where I live, all the land is separated into different states and then those states are separated into counties and cities. I live in Seattle which is a city in the state of Washington. Um, it's really rainy there because of the mountains and it's right next to the Puget sound which connects to the ocean."

"Interesting" Rhysand mused, "Are these states similar to our courts?"

Rhysand's voice sounded genuinely interested and it persuaded Eleanor to keep going, "I don't really know how all your courts work and everything, but the states have governments that make laws specifically for that state, and the state governments all have to follow the direction of the federal government --"

"Federal government? Mor asked cutting Eleanor off.

"All the states have to follow the rules of one big government that tells them what they can and can't do, but each state still has its own separate laws." Eleanor clarified.

"Did you like your state?" Feyre's soft voice added, "I don't remember the name, but did you have friends there?"

Motivated by everyone's genuine interest, Eleanor found herself slowly coming out of her shell and feeling more and more comfortable around them, "It's called Washington, and I lived in Seattle. It rains there a lot which kinda sucked cause I don't really like the rain, but everything is super green and really pretty. My friends and I used to go hiking whenever it wasn't raining just to see all the trees." Eleanor smiled to herself as she recalled the fond memories of her and her friends laughing and joking around as they hiked the different trails around the city. But her smile quickly disappeared when she realized where she was and that she probably would never be able to see them again.

"It sounds like you would love the Illyrian Moun-- are you all right?" Rhysands voice quickly changed to one of concern as he noticed Eleanor's sudden change in demeanor.

Eleanor let out a small pained laugh in an attempt to ease the awkwardness of the situation and began to reassure Rhysand and everyone else, hiding her real emotions, but was cut off by the arrival of a whispy ghost-like creature that rushed into the room.

The ghost quickly flew over to Feyre and Rhysand and began quickly whispering into their ears. Eleanor couldn't really make out what was being said but she heard bits and pieces of the conversation and found herself getting more and more confused the longer the conversation progressed. 

Feyre's face had shifted into one of deep concern and Rhysand appeared to get angrier and angrier the longer the ghost spoke.

"Get whoever you can and take care of it" Eleanor overheard Rhysand say to the ghost, "I want this taken care of as quickly and quietly as possible."

"I agree" Feyre added "I don't think it's going to be productive to let everyone know about such a large breach. Shut it down and quickly take care of it"

The ghost whispered something once more and quickly flew out of the room.

Both Rhysand and Feyre quickly schooled their faces into those of confidence and tranquility, as if whatever conversation just transpired between them and the ghost creature thing never even happened at all. Eleanor wanted to ask them what the whole thing was about, but she bit her tongue and thought the better of herself. 

"I apologize for the interruption, Eleanor, please continue what you were saying," Rhysand said with the air of a diplomat; his previous informal persona dropping in favor of a much more rigid and formal one.

"Oh no, it's ok. I was done talking." Eleanor meekly said, finding herself uncomfortable with the sudden change in Rhysand's demeanor. The arrival of the ghost made it clear to Eleanor that things weren't as great in this place as she thought and had been reassured. There clearly was something happening that they were keeping from her, and she found herself questioning who she could trust.

"Well I think that we should return to our conversation about what we are doing with the girl," Amren said speaking up, "That's why we came down here in the first place, right? To continue talking about what she is?"

"Jesus Amren!" Cassian chided "She has a name, you know. And we came in here to eat dinner... you can drop the heartless bitch character from time to time, it's not very becoming."

"Oh I'll show you becoming boy" Amren growled in response, her nails digging into the table underneath her as she gripped the mahogany wood of the table.

"Ok! I think it's time for me to step in... again" Mor chimed in with another over-exaggerated smile on her face, "There really doesn't need to be more discussion on this topic, we covered most of it in the drawing-room. Eleanor can begin training with you and Az at some point in the next few days and you two will figure out what she is. It's really not that complicated."

"I think Amren wanted to discuss the specifics, Mor" Rhysand smirked.

Mor flashed him a dazzling smile in return, "Ok... Eleanor spends the mornings training with Az, and the afternoons with Amren... easy."

"Is that all right with you Eleanor?" Rhysand asked.

"Um yeah I guess"

"I'll come to get you tomorrow then. We'll start at 5," Azriel said. His dark voice, sending shivers down Eleanor's spine.

Mor's face was incredulous. She openly gaped at both Eleanor and Azriel upon hearing that they would begin training at five in the morning, "Well then Eleanor, if I were you I'd have been asleep an hour ago" she laughed with a playful tone, "The Illyrian brutes over here don't play when it comes to their little training games."

"Games?!" Cassian gasped, his face contorted into a look of absolute shock and disgust as he dramatically held his hand over his chest.

Mor ignored him and turned to Azriel with a smirk, "And if I were you, I'd head up to my room too. And I'd make sure to go up the main stairwell when I do so."

Amren snorted, but Azriel's face conveyed nothing.

"Well then if I'm going to be going up the main stairway--" he turned to glare at Mor, "Eleanor, would you like me to walk you to your room?"

"Oh! Uh only if it's not out of your way" She quickly responded.

"Don't even worry about it, Eleanor" Mor said airly waving her hand in front of her, "He's heading up the main staircase, it's not out of his way at all."

Eleanor shot Mor a puzzled look, but reluctantly stood up and pushed her chair in behind her. Azriel followed her lead and did the same, "after you" he said following her out of the room. 

"Mor.." Feyre chastised as the door slowly closed behind Eleanor and Azriel.

"What?!" She laughed, "Someone had to do it!"

The door clicked shut behind them and Eleanor slowly turned to Azriel, "What was that about?" she asked.

At first, Azriel didn't respond and silently walked alongside her for a few seconds before answering, "that was just-" he paused, "Mor being Mor."

"Oh, ok" 

They walked side by side in silence as slowly climbed the huge marble staircase that filled the entrance hall. Eleanor was looking ahead, wringing her hands together uncomfortably. She didn't miss Azriel's stare; the way his eyes seemed to search the very depths of her soul, and she involuntarily shivered under his gaze.

When they got to the top of the staircase, he spoke up again, "Just so I know for tomorrow, did you play any sports or do anything that might be able to help you when you lived in the mortal lands?"

"This probably won't be helpful, but I was a competitive swimmer." 

And then he laughed; like actually laughed, "No that won't be very helpful," he paused and seemed to think for a moment, "unless of course, you plan on being thrown in the Sidra."

Eleanor laughed in response. She didn't really know what the Sidra was, but she still found his comment funny.

When they, at last, got to her door, Azriel reached one arm around her and opened the door from behind her, and held it open for her to go through. She flashed him a small smile and made her way into her room.

"Remember 5 o'clock," he said, "be ready"

"I will" Eleanor responded, smiling shyly from the doorway as she slowly closed the door between them.

It wasn't until later that she realized that the blackness hadn't shown up for over 4 hours.

_A/N: Ok so I know that it has been longer than a week... but I have an excuse! ACOSF came out on Tuesday and I have spent the last week crying over the fact that my copy won't be here until Saturday. Stupid Barnes and Noble, but I finished and wrote the chapter!_

_I am literally so excited to keep writing this, it's been so much fun so far. I'll keep y'all updated on how all that goes. Anyways don't forget to vote and comment!_

_xoxo,_

_Lauren_


	4. Chapter 4

Eleanor was running. She didn't know why she was running or what she was running from, but she was running -- faster than she'd ever run in her entire life. Pure adrenaline rushed through her veins as the blackness swirled around her as if it were shielding her from whatever it was that she was running from and the sounds out her feet hitting the pavement drained out the sounds of everything else.

She jolted for a brief moment; a cold rush of air settling over her as the wind rushed against her nake--

Wait. That's not right.

Why was she running naked?

Eleanor's eyes shot open and she found herself back in her room. Her comforter, however, lay discarded on the floor, and two suspicious-looking shadows were floating back over to Azriel who stood in the doorway smirking.

"What happened to 5 o'clock?" he smirked.

"I didn't know..." Eleanor groggily responded slowly collecting her bearings, "It's not 5 is it?"

"It's 5:15. Meet me downstairs in five minutes" Azriel said turning to leave her room, "Oh and Eleanor-"

"Hm?"

"I would wear something warm, The mountains can get pretty cold in the morning." 

Well no shit, she thought while looking down at her nightgown. At least she wasn't naked like she was in her dream... where did that even come from?

Eleanor quickly changed and ran out of her room and down to the great hall to meet Azriel. She barreled down the stairs, going two at a time, all the while pulling her hair back into a high ponytail -- up and out of the way.

Azriel stood at the bottom of the stairs with his usual mask of indifference, "It's 5:30," he smirked.

"I'm here now, aren't I?" Eleanor huffed in response.

"That you are," he said opening the front door of the river-side house for Eleanor to go through before exiting himself. Once they were outside, he turned to her and asked if he could pick her up.

"Yeah... uh, sure," Eleanor responded the confusion evident in her tone.

Then, as if she weighed nothing, Azriel scooped her into his arms and shot into the sky. Eleanor let out a small yelp and buried her face into the crook of Azriel's neck as they rushed higher and higher into the sky. The cold wind bit her skin and nipped at her ears, but she never removed her face from his neck. She didn't look when they passed the dark blue Sidra or the Rainbow of Velaris, or when they passed Ramiel and its snow-capped peaks. She kept her face firmly hidden in the curve of his neck until both of his feet were firmly on the ground.

Slowly he put Eleanor down, back on the ground, but her center of gravity was all over the place and her legs began wobbling beneath her before they gave out entirely. Azriel's arm shot out and caught Eleanor before she hit the ground and hauled her back onto her feet. Both of his arms tightened around her waist as he steadied her on her feet, "You ok there?" he laughed.

Eleanor's face reddened, "Yeah, I'm fine." She said pulling herself from his grip, "Can we just get started?"

"Yeah, let's go over there," Azriel said pointing his head in the direction of a small cluster of rocks.

"What are we going to do?" Eleanor asked wringing her hands together.

"We are going to go sit on those rocks for the next few hours."

"Like, we're just going to sit there?" Eleanor asked the distaste evident on her face.

"Yes." He didn't offer anything more than that and together they made their way over to the rocks. 

Once they got to the rocks, Azriel sat down and Eleanor followed his lead sitting on one across from him. It wasn't very comfortable; the pointy part of the rock uncomfortably stabbing her butt. She shifted around trying to get as comfortable as possible, before giving up completely and abandoning that rock altogether for another flatter one next to Azriel.

"What are we doing?" Eleanor asked again.

"We are going to sit here." Azriel repeated shrugging, "And you are going to let your magic loose."

"I don- I don't know how to do that." 

"Yes, you do," Azriel said, his monotone voice revealing nothing, "It's like breathing; you're always doing it, you're just not always aware of it. And you're going to learn how to be aware of it... so, come on let it loose."

Eleanor took a deep breath, closed her eyes, and ran her hands nervously along the length of her thighs, trying to imagine the blackness surrounding her and Azriel. She imagined it swirling around her and Azriel, the rocks beneath them, and the trees surrounding them.

After a few minutes, she slowly opened one eye and looked around. The blackness was nowhere in sight and Azriel sat leaning against a rock with his usual mask of unaffected boredom.

"Nothing's here. Try again" He yawned.

Eleanor huffed but resolved to try again. She closed her eyes, pushed the palms of her hands against her thighs, and took a deep breath. She imagined herself sitting there on the rocks with Azriel and the blackness. She saw it as it slowly seeped from her skin and swirled around her. She saw it as it slowly floated over to Azriel and began playfully circling him. And once she was certain that the blackness was finally there, she opened her eyes. 

But nothing was there.

Eleanor let her head drop back and up towards the sky as she groaned in frustration, "I can't do it."

"Yes, you can. Try again."

"But I-"

"Try. Again." He said cutting her off.

She groaned in response, but closed her eyes and took another deep breath. She imagined the forest around them and the blackness slowly slithering through it, and then took another deep breath, and another, and another. Pretty soon she no longer even saw the forest around her and was solely focused on her breathing.

In...

And out.

In...

And out.

Then something changed. Like really changed. She felt it -- the blackness -- seep out of her and into the forest. She felt it as it swirled around her and Azriel; as it circled the rocks and snaked its way around the trees. She slowly opened her eyes nervous that her mind was playing tricks on her again, but when she opened her eyes she was greeted by the blackness swirling around her.

She immediately turned to Azriel with a huge smile on her face, unbelievably proud of herself and the fact that she was finally able to summon the blackness. At first, Azriel's face appeared to show no change, but Eleanor could have sworn she saw a sliver of a smile slip onto his face.

"Good." He said, "Now knock me off the rock."

"I'm sorry... what?" Eleanor balked.

"You heard me. Take all of that," He said pointing to the blackness coiling around her, "and use it to knock me off this rock."

"Um... ok," Eleanor said with a wavering voice.

She shook everything out, took a deep breath, and imagined the blackness shoving Azriel off the rock. But nothing happened. The blackness remained where it was -- swirling around her and Azriel. It didn't even falter.

"Focus your energy on knocking me off the rock, not all of this," he said gesturing around them.

Eleanor nodded and refocused her energy. With a deep breath, she imagined taking every bit of energy she had and throwing it at Azriel. She felt a release of pressure in her chest and let out a sigh of relief thinking that she had conjured up the power to knock the smug 6 foot tall Illyrian sitting next to her off of the rock.

But that was all before it became rushing back. The blackness racing towards her and hitting her square in the chest. 

Eleanor let out a small yelp as she was shoved off the rock and onto the ground. She groaned in frustration as she slowly sat up covered in dust.

A small smile crossed Azriel's face, "Do it again... and this time knock ME off the rock."

Grumbling, Eleanor stood up and climbed back onto the circle of rocks they were sitting on. She slowly sat back down and took a deep breath. She felt the warmth in her chest and she willed it to get warmer and warmer as she focused her energy on Azriel. She imagined the warmth exploding out of her chest and hitting Azriel with everything she had.

And it did. Only it pulled Eleanor with it. 

Azriel grunted as the force of the blackness hit him and Eleanor gasped as it pulled her forward -- right into him. The next thing she knew they were on the ground: he lay on his back and she was sprawled out on top of him. Eleanor quickly tried to get up but froze as when Azriel's hands grabbed her hips in an attempt to help steady her: his fingers pressed into the backs of her hips bones and his thumbs into the front of her pelvis.

Eleanor bit her lip and shivered under his gentle touch, staring for a moment into his dark hazel eyes. And he stared back. Azriel met her stare with just as much if not more intensity; his eyes reading into the darkest depths of her soul. Keeping his unwavering stare, Azriel slowly lifted one of his hands from Eleanor's hips and softly swept some of her hair behind her ear. And Eleanor shuddered as his calloused hand brushed up against her cheek not wanting to be the first one to break their exchange.

Then Azriel blinked as if he suddenly remembered something important and pushed Eleanor off of him.

Eleanor yelped and scrambled to her feet, now embarrassed by what just happened as Azriel walked over to some trees in the distance. She couldn't see exactly what was happening but saw the faint outline of one of his ghost things in the distance. He stayed there for a couple of minutes talking to the shadow and then walked back over to Eleanor. "I have some urgent business I need to take care of in Velaris. We are going to have to end this a little early and I'm going to have to take you back to the house now."

Eleanor's face reddened, the thought of being that close to Azriel again -- being wrapped up in his arms, her chest pressed up against his, and her face pressed firmly into his neck -- was almost unbearable after everything that happened on the rocks.

Apparently, Azriel thought the same, "We won't have time to fly back, so I'm going to have to winnow you, are you ok with that?"

"Uh, yeah."

Azriel slowly walked closer to Eleanor, "Grab on."

Eleanor tentatively grabbed onto his arm, pulling herself into him. Then she was sucked down a black hole. Everything around her was stretched and pulled around in strange ways; the air compressing and decompressing around them. Eleanor's blackness swirled around them and she could have sworn she saw Azriel's shadows doing the same. And then it all stopped.

They appeared right in front of the mansion and when they did Azriel offered a quick goodbye and winnowed away,- leaving Eleanor on the lawn wondering what in the world just happened.

_A/N: Hey guys! Sorry about the wait for this chapter, I posted it to Wattpad and then realized I forgot to post it on here... Have any of y'all read ACOSF, yet? I don't want to give anything away, but I am currently living for the evil Elain theory. I mean it would finally give her a personality (sorry if you like Elain). It's pretty good and Sarah did not hesitate when it came to the Nessian smut... Highly recommend!_

_xoxo,_

_Lauren_


	5. Chapter 5

Eleanor spent the rest of the morning exploring the house. She walked up and down the different staircases, through the different hallways, and all the rooms. At one point she even found a library and spent a few minutes rifling through all of the books. After a while, though, she got bored and walked back to her room to take a nice long nap.

But, Eleanor couldn't sleep. She tossed and turned in her bed, her mind racing as she pondered the events of the morning:

Did she really have magic?

Would she be able to control it?

Use it whenever she wanted?

What was THAT with Azriel?

After what felt like a lifetime Amren finally walked into Eleanor's room pulling her from her thoughts, "Good you're here," She said as she marched across Eleanor's room, "Get up we're going to my apartment." She threw open Eleanor's curtains, "Follow me."

Eleanor slowly got up and out of her bed, groggily rubbing her eyes, 

"Keep up, Eleanor" Amren called, already halfway into the hallway. Eleanor snapped to attention and quickly ran through her door, out, and after Amren. They walked through the hallways, down the main staircase, and out the front door of the mansion.

Amren was a power-walker. She walked as if she were running. Eleanor tried her best to catch up with her, but couldn't help thinking that she might have to start running soon in order to keep up. It was a shame too because Amren sped past all the beautiful buildings Velaris. She had probably seen them all hundreds of times, but Eleanor was seeing them all for the first time. And she tripped over her own feet more times than she could count trying to keep up with Amren all the while admiring the homes and businesses of Velaris.

As they were walking they turned onto a street that was adorned with brightly painted buildings. There was music playing from somewhere, there were painters painting murals, dancers practicing in the streets, and the smell of freshly baked bread filled the air. Eleanor couldn't help but stop and stare at everything. She had never been anywhere that felt more alive, more "homey", than this place. She slowed her pace to a mere stroll as she took in everything around her and didn't even notice Amren staring at her expectantly, "We don't have time for this, Eleanor" She said, "I live at the end of the street, come on."

Amren then resumed her power-walking, leaving Eleanor scrambling to catch up.

Amren finally came to a stop in front of a quaint little three-story building with stained glass windows. She reached into a small box -- that resembled a mailbox -- and pulled out a stack of books, "Hold these" Amren said handing them to Eleanor as she unlocked the door to the building, "I'm on the third floor, you'll have to carry those up a few flights of stairs."

"Oh...ok," Eleanor said, stumbling under the sudden weight of the books. She followed Amren into the building, up the stairs, and into her apartment.

Amren walked over to a couch and gestured for Eleanor to sit down in an armchair next to it, "Hand me a few of the books and start going through the rest."

"Why? What are we doing?" 

"We are going through all of these books and figuring out what you are," Amren said.

Eleanor's face crinkled with disgust, "So... we're just reading?"

"Yes. We are just reading," Amren mimicked, "Take one of those and start going through it. It's going to be about Shadowsingers; and even though you aren't a shadow singer, there could be information in there that's helpful."

This is stupid, Eleanor thought as she reached over to the stack of books sitting on the coffee table in front of her. She huffed and pulled the first one off the stack and into her lap, and then settled back into her chair prepared to read:

Οι τραγουδιστές των σκιών είναι είδη που έχουν τη δυνατότητα να χειρίζονται και να ελέγχουν τις σκιές. Μπορούν να ακούσουν και να αισθανθούν πράγματα που άλλοι δεν μπορούν και μπορούν να συγχωνευτούν στις σκιές καθώς και να μεταφερθούν μέσω αυτών.

"Um... Amren?" 

Amren looked up from her own book with a slightly annoyed expression on her face, "what?"

"I can't read this" Eleanor said flipping her book around to show her the strange script the book appeared to be written in.

"Give it here," Amren said reaching across the coffee table and grabbing the book from Eleanor's hands, "some of these books have protection spells that jumble the language, you just have to find the key and it will release."

Amren turned the book over and over in her hands and ran her fingers across its surface, "Ah, there it is." She pushed her finger down into the spine of the book and handed it back to Eleanor, "You should be able to read it now."

Eleanor re-opened the book and began reading again -- for real this time:

Shadowsingers are faeries that have the ability to wield and control shadows. They can hear and feel things others can't and can merge into the shadows as well as transport through them.

The powers of a shadow singer are as secret and mysterious as the shadows themselves. They are incredibly stealthy. They are often surrounded by shadows and are said to have the ability to feel and hear things that others can't. They can control and manipulate shadows, merging into them or using them to transport in a manner similar to winnowing. 

"Amren..." Eleanor groaned, "How am I supposed to use this book to figure everything out when this book literally just said they don't even know the power of Shadowsingers?"

Amren shot Eleanor an incredulous look, "You are two pages into that book. You are reading the introduction. Things will be explained in depth later; the whole point of it is to get your attention."

Eleanor tilted her head back and groaned in frustration. She was never a huge reader. It always bored her and she never understood how some people did it for fun. And right now, she was bored out of her mind -- so bored that the words in front of her all started to blur together.

"You have the attention span of a goldfish" Amren muttered turning the page of her own book. Eleanor huffed in response, set down her book, and stood up resolving to walk around Amren's apartment.

"What are you doing now?" Amren asked the exasperation evident in her voice.

"I'm stretching my legs"

"It's been 5 minutes... The least you could do is try and finish the book you were reading."

"Finish it!?" Eleanor balked, "That is a 400-page book... with no pictures. Finishing it will take me at least a week." 

"Ok, you know what," Amren said, standing up to meet Eleanor, who was currently standing in the middle of her apartment. She reached down to the glass coffee table in the middle of the room and picked up the smallest of the books -- a flimsy little pamphlet that couldn't have been more than 20 pages, "You can read this. It's a report that one of the priestesses from the library wrote on unknown magic sources. It's not that long, is kinda interesting, and has pictures. I've already read through it, but you might have another perspective."

Amren handed Eleanor the pamphlet. "I thought you would be teaching me how to use my magic, not make me read about it," Eleanor grumbled taking the pamphlet from Amren.

"I can't teach you to control anything if I don't know what it is," Amren growled, "I am NOT going to unknowingly release a death god on the city."

"A what?" Eleanor asked, plopping back down into her chair.

"A death god. Something you would know about if you just read the book I gave you." Amren slowly walked towards the kitchen in her apartment, "do you want anything to drink?" She called over her shoulder.

"No, I'm fine" Eleanor grumbled in response.

She leaned back into her armchair and pulled her little pamphlet in front of her. Eleanor let out a small sigh and opened the pamphlet. She was met with the smallest print she had ever seen and absolutely no pictures. 

Eleanor groaned again 'Amren is such a liar' she bitterly thought to herself as she started reading:

The traditional school of thought teaches that all magic comes from the cauldron, that it is a gift bestowed upon us by the mother. However, as we explore more and more of the realm and learn more and more about the nature of magic, a new school of thought has emerged. One that strives to learn of the sources for all cases of unnatural magic.

To best explain this new school, I would like to use the story of a girl who fell from the sky 200 years ago. Emily DuPont was a 16-year-old girl (whose species was never identified) who fell from the sky into Prythian over 200 years ago. But Emily was special in that she could summon sunlight at will. Emily held powers very similar to that of the faeries, but her power was nothing like anything we ever knew. Unfortunately, Emily was killed by a mob after she burned a town to the ground during a moment of unrest. Her story, however, is now used readily by scholars in order to argue this new school of thought.

Emily's magic was unprecedented in both its magnitude and its peculiarity. Up until Emily, magic generally was defined by the Prythian court/outside kingdom's magic. You had Fae from the spring court or monsters from Hyburn and their magic would match the magic of the spring court or of Hyburn. But Emily's magic was not tied to a court and she was much stronger than any of the High Lords. Many scholars believe her magic to be elemental, tied to the sun itself, and not subject to the whims of the cauldron. And Emily isn't the only case of this 'elemental magic', we shall examine some of the other cases below:

Eleanor's eyes softened as she read the words in front of her and came to recognize the similarity between herself and this girl, Emily, "Amren!?" She yelled standing up, "Amren!"

Her thoughts were racing as she saw the parallels between herself and Emily. If the blackness wasn't anything any of these people understood, then it couldn't belong to any of the courts. Darkness was an element, right? The pamphlet said that there were other cases of other elementals. And it said that they were all more powerful than the high lords... was she more powerful than the high lords? Could she be? Was that possible?

Eleanor ran into the kitchen of Amren's apartment, but she wasn't there, "Amren?" Eleanor asked again, her voice much quieter this time. But no one answered.

Eleanor bolted from the kitchen, running throughout Amren's apartment looking for where she could have gone. She checked the bedroom, the guestroom, the bathroom, and even the closets, but no one was there. 

Running through the hallway with tears now streaming from her face as she frantically called out Amren's name, Eleanor noticed that the front door to Amren's apartment was wide open. 

Eleanor ran through the door, down the stairs, and out the door of Amren's apartment out into the cool rainbow street, but the street was now dead. Music was no longer playing, dancers no longer practicing, even the smell of freshly baked bread was now gone. 

The silence unnerved Eleanor, but she made her way down the street. She walked through the entire city, but everywhere she went, she was met with silence.

But when she finally entered the Palace of Bone and Salt, she finally found someone. Someone bleeding out on the ground. 

A young man no more than 25 lay on the ground with a large hole in the middle of his chest and blood staining the ground around him. He lifted his head as Eleanor entered the square and only whispered a single word "Run" before he choked on his own blood and fell back onto the street.

But before Eleanor could make it a step further, The world exploded.

_A/N: Hi everyone! How's it going? I feel like I have to deflect from the cliffhanger I just left cause like I haven't even started the next chapter... I do know what is going to happen though so get ready cause it's going to be cool._

_xoxo,_

_Lauren_


End file.
